Life After Death/Issue 30
Ike swung his sword into the side of a rotter's head, slicing it into two. He then slammed it down on the top of another, cracking it's skull. He yanked the sword out of it's head and swung it into the torso of another rotter, slicing it in half. He then stabbed it into the rotter's head. "What the fuck is he doing?" Bart asked Rachel as he ran up beside her. "I-I don't know...he just ran into the biters and started swinging at them." Ike slashed another rotter's head in two, and then jabbed it into the forehead of another. He attempted to pull it out, but was stopped when a rotter bit into his waist. *BOOM* A bullet tore through the rotter's head as Ike looked back and saw Bart running toward him, holding his pistol. He shot a few other rotters, and then grabbed Ike's arm. "Come on, let's get the fuck outta here," Bart said as he attempted to pull Ike away. "No...I-I can't," Ike said, resisting. "Why the hell not?" "I'm not worth your trouble. Just leave me." "Bullshit." Bart kicked Ike's legs out from under him, and the quickly started dragging him back. Rachel ran up and grabbed Ike's other arm, and the two both helped him to his feet. Rachel, Ike, and Bart met up with Dolph, and the four fled through the fence and into the forest after everyone else. ---- "Why did you do it?" Ike asked as the four walked through the forest, zigzagging around tree branches. "Do what?" Bart asked in response. "Save me." "Why the fuck wouldn't I save you?" "Because I got Matt killed...I...I figured you hated me after that." "I'm pissed off at you, and I'm gonna be for a long fucking time...but I don't hate you." "I don't see why not...if I hadn't taken you guys out there, none of this would've happened." "Yeah, and what would have happened if you had died?" Dolph asked, interrupting their conversation. "How do you think that would affect your son? Rachel? The rest of your group? Just because you feel like a piece of shit, doesn't mean you can just go kill yourself with no consequences." "Dolph, stop it," Rachel burst out. "He doesn't need this shit right now." "Don't coddle him, he needs to hear this eventually." "Now's not the time. Let's just focus on catching up with everyone else." ---- After about five minutes, the four encountered the rest of the group resting in a small clearing near a ravine. A couple people were leaning over the water, drinking, while the rest stood in the center, with a few collapsed tents and poles lying beside them. When they saw the four come through the trees, they rushed over. "Are you guys alright?" Andre asked. "What the hell was going on back there?" Rachel looked back at Ike, and then spoke. "Ike tried to fend of the biters, but he got swarmed. Luckily, Bart was able to save him." "Uh...yeah," Ike awkwardly said. "My armor got kind of screwed, though." Ike twisted his body to show the giant tear in the left side of his armor. "Shit, that's a big rip," Ryan said. "Wait, Penny, didn't you grab the duct tape from the RV before we left?" "Oh yeah, I did," Penny said as she swung her brown backpack over her shoulder and onto the ground. She unzipped it and pulled out one roll of duct tape that was nearly empty. "Fuck, I forgot the rest inside. I ran out to help take down the tents before I grabbed it." Penny tossed the roll to Ike. "Here, it's only enough to cover that bit." "Someone else should use it; I already have enough protection," Ike said as he tossed it back. "A tiny bit of tape isn't going to protect anyone from a biter, but it's enough to close up that hole. Just use it so we can get going." "Fine." Ike took the duct tape, ripped the rest off, and taped up his armor. He dropped the empty roll to the ground as Andre, Ryan, and Eric grabbed the tents, and the group headed back into the forest. ---- They walked for about half an hour before they finally emerged near a highway. It was mostly empty, save for a few crashed cars to the right, blocking the road. "My legs hurt," Owen quietly said to Ike. "I know," Ike responded. "So do mine." "This is hell," Devon said as he sat on the road. "We're going right back to how we were before we ran into Ike, except this time, we have even more people, and less supplies. I'm tired of walking, I just want to find a place to stay." "There has to be somewhere around here," Emily said. "There just has to be." "Maybe we can keep going down the road?" Brie suggested. "There's got to be a gas station or something that we can stay at." "There might not be one for miles," Eric added. "I don't want to have to keep walking." "We should at least try," Kumar said. "Until it starts getting dark. No point in setting up camp now while it's still sunny out." "I guess." "I agree," Rachel stated. "We can keep going for a bit...if we don't find anything, then we just put up the tents and keep going tomorrow." "That's exactly what I don't want to do." "What other choice do we have? Just stay in the middle of a road, hoping and praying that the biters don't swarm us while we're sleeping?" "I sure as hell don't want to spend the next month on the road looking for a place to stay." "Could we cut out the arguing and just keep moving?" Emily asked. "We're burning daylight." "Alright...come on, let's go." ---- After a good two hours of walking, the sun started to set, and the group was exhausted. "We should start setting up the tents," Eric said. "It's getting late." "There's still some sun left," Ike responded. "We can keep going." "It's pointless; we've been walking for hours and there's nothing. We need to rest." "I just want to get somewhere safe first." "If it's really that important to you, we can keep looking in the morning. We're all exhausted. We need to stop walking." "Yeah, I...I guess you're right." "Come on, let's set up-" Eric was cut off by Morgan, who had walked several dozen feet down the road. "Look!" she screamed and everyone started running down the road. As they passed the edge of the forest, they saw an abandoned gas station and restaurant on the side of the highway. "Holy shit," Devon said, awestruck. The place was perfect, there were a few cars nearby, and the area around it was empty, perfect for an escape in case rotters swarmed them. "And to think," Dolph started to say as he looked back at Eric. "We almost stopped walking." Credits * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Deaths *None